Margaret Kepner
I enjoy expressing mathematical concepts through attributes such as
color, geometric forms, and patterns. I have a background in
mathematics, which provides me with a never-ending supply of subject
matter, while my lifelong interest in art gives me a vocabulary and
references to use in my work. Recently, I have been experimenting with
grids, tilings and geometric packing problems, as well as topics in
number theory such as integer sequences and partitions.
A partition of N is a set of positive integers that adds up to N.
This work is an exploration of the 77 unique partitions of twelve,
and their representations and properties. The square diagrams
composing the piece depict partitions and resemble Young diagrams.
For example, the red figure located at the top illustrates the
partition 5 + 3 + 2 + 1 + 1 = 12. Various visual elements
demonstrate a well-known partition theorem. Partitions with all
odd terms are shown in black, and those with all distinct terms
have red lines between terms. The number of partitions satisfying
both conditions is equal to the number of self-conjugate
partitions (in this case, three). The outer red squares serve as
coordinates to locate these partitions in the grid.